This follows the successful 2012 IT Challenge in which the Dutch team - MulitLens -beat 77 teams to take the winning prize for their app that enables sports or music fans to choose what they want to see when watching a big match or concert.

The theme for the 2013 IT Challenge is the Connected Car. Students from universities in Austria, China, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, UK, and the US are invited to work in teams of two to five to create an application that offers drivers and passengers wellbeing on the move.

The winning team will be given a trip to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games including flights, accommodation and a behind the scenes tour, as well as an E-tablet. The two runner up teams will be awarded an Atos Diploma demonstrating outstanding achievement.

The judges will be looking for an app that offers something useful and unique to those on the move while seeking to improve the wellbeing of drivers and passengers. They will also pay close attention to the design which should ensure it is easy to use while in the car.

Contestants will be asked to demonstrate their app and to show how it will work in the car environment, for example, taking into account the speed of travel, as well as present the business case to explain how it can be a commercial success.

'Having pioneered Carminat, Tom Tom Live and now R-Link systems, Renault is a leader in smart and affordable mobility solutions centred on people,' said Marc Pajon, Renault Vice-President, Advanced Projects, life on board, safety and dynamic performance. 'We have a long-standing relationship with Atos and we are delighted to be involved in this exciting IT Challenge which we believe will help to achieve the best wellbeing of Renault drivers and passengers on the move.'
Gilles Grapinet, Senior Executive Vice President at Atos said: 'The IT Challenge gives students of today the chance to write the IT story of tomorrow. This competition is a fantastic learning experience for the students, the universities and ourselves. We are looking forward to seeing how the students turn their university knowledge into exciting, commercial applications for the car. We encourage students at the participating universities to apply.'
Teams are requested to register their interest by the mid of December 2012 and then post their initial submission on to the dedicated IT Challenge website before 21st December 2012. Up to a maximum of 15 successful teams will be shortlisted. 14 will be selected by the Atos Scientific Community and experts from Renault, a global network of around 90 of the best business technologists within Atos. One team will be selected by the students themselves - the team with the highest number of likes on Facebook.

The IT Challenge jury - made up of senior Atos & Renaults executives, Atos industry leading partners, technology and talent advocates will select the winners following presentations by each shortlisted team. The three winning teams and their university representatives will be invited to the IT Challenge award ceremony in June 2013.

The IT Challenge forms part of the Atos Wellbeing@work initiative and supports its objective to encourage and develop talent. Students from participating Universities can register interest at: atositchallenge.net
About Atos
Atos is an international information technology services company with annual 2011 pro forma revenue of EUR 8.5 billion and 74,000 employees in 48 countries. Serving a global client base, it delivers hi-tech transactional services, consulting and managed services. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, it works with clients across the following market sectors: Manufacturing, Retail, Services; Public, Health & Transports; Financial Services; Telecoms, Media & Technology; Energy & Utilities. Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic and Paralympics Games and is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting & Technology Services, Atos Worldline and Atos Worldgrid.

More information about the contest (rules, prizes, partner universities, the Coaches & the Jury, smart mobility, Atos and Connected Cars : atositchallenge.net
Individual prizes:
The Jury will select 1 winner and 2 finalists:
1st Prize- Gold Medal:
Diploma
E-tablet
2nd Prize - Silver Medal:
Diploma
E- tablet
3rd Prize- Bronze Medal:
Diploma
E-tablet
Prizes for all participants:
All participants in the IT Challenge will also receive a set of gifts to thank them for their participation in the contest and will be invited to apply for an internship to work as part of the Atos. For information on the Atos internship opportunities and how to apply, please visit the website.

For more information contact:
Caroline Crouch
Atos
Email: caroline.crouch@atos.net
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